


Junior

by homicidalbrunette



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Comedy, El and Mike as parents, El and Mike's son, F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff, Future Fic, Gen, Light-Hearted, One Shot, parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-21 07:13:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19369621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/homicidalbrunette/pseuds/homicidalbrunette
Summary: “Waffle,” El put their son in her lap. Oh no, Mike thought, was she already caving? “You can’t call people drunken monster.”“Why not?”“Because it’s a bad thing to say to someone,” El explained.Junior looked up at El, then over at Mike, chewing his lip the whole time. Maybe El had finally gotten through to him.“But Daddy says it all the time.”Mike turned red. “I – what?”-----In which Mike and El (attempt to) do some parenting.





	Junior

“El, we really gotta stick to our guns this time. Remember what Hop said?”

El sighed, wringing her hands, but she parroted the line that Hop had lectured them with so many times. “Kids need structure and discipline.”

“Exactly. It’s not like this is the first time. It’s not even the second time! It’s like, the five billionth time!”

“Don’t exaggerate. Junior is a good boy!”

“I know. I know he is.” Mike sighed, brushing a hand through his hair.

Junior was their first boy. When Mike and El saw him for the first time at the orphanage, he had been cuddling a stuffed Yoda, sleeping like an angel. With his wild black hair and dark eyes, El had said he was just like a mini-Mike. So when the adoption papers finally came through, she had wanted to name him Michael, Jr., after the person she loved best (well, now she loved two Michaels best).

Their sleeping angel had turned out to be quite the devil though, when he wanted to be.

“He has to learn that actions have consequences,” Mike insisted. “He’s starting pre-school in the fall, imagine if he said that to his teacher!”

It had been a fun night at Grandma Karen’s house. Still, the moment Mike and El had set foot in the door, Junior had thundered right into the room, his still baby-chubby rolly-polly legs waddling unevenly but determinedly for his mother, colliding smack into her and attacking her face with kisses.

“Oh, I missed you too, my little waffle!” El giggled, returning each and every kiss.

“Mommy! Daddy! Grandma Karen let me have THREE scoops Rocky Road ice cream.”

“Is that so?” Mike kneeled down, ruffling his son’s hair, “She’s spoiling you rotten, isn’t she?”

Junior nodded eagerly in apparent agreement, “And Grandpa Ted snored EXTRA loud today but he stopped when I dropped a penny in his mouth.”

At that, Mike’s eyes had gone wide. “You – what?”

“Relax, Michael,” Karen Wheeler appeared in the foyer, a cocktail glass in hand. “Your father’s fine. I think he might’ve just swallowed it.”

Mike sighed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. His parents’ dynamic had never changed, even after all these years. His father still painfully oblivious, his mother still coping with it through alcohol. “Hey champ, why don’t you go say bye-bye to Grandma? Give her a kiss goodnight.”

Mike and El watched as their son left his mother’s arms to waddle over to Karen, obediently giving her a sweet peck on the cheek.

“Nighty-night gramma.”

“Goodnight,” Karen gave Junior’s fat cheek a squeeze. “I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you,” Junior giggled, “You drunken monster!” He gave Karen another peck on the cheek and ran straight back into El’s arms.

Everyone was frozen in shock. Karen’s mouth was agape, her drink forgotten in her hand. El’s wide eyes met Mike’s own, and for what seemed like an eternity, nobody said anything.

Mike looked over at his mother in fear. Maybe she hadn’t heard it. Maybe she was so old now her ears had gone off, or she was too drunk -

“MICHAEL!!”

No such luck.

And that was why, two days later, Mike Wheeler was trying to convince his wife, and himself, to finally put their foot down. Kids needed structure and discipline. It was just that… Mike and El weren’t particularly good at it. How could they be, when the kid was so darn cute?

There was the time they came home to find Junior drawing on the carpet. They had put him in time out, but once El heard him crying on the baby monitor that they STILL had, she completely folded and raced up the stairs, Mike close on her heels determined to stop her. Of course, once he was in the room he also completely caved. They had ended up taking Junior out for ice cream to cheer him up.

There was the time Dustin returned with Junior after a night babysitting with the report that Junior had bit his dog. When Mike and El had sternly asked their son why he did it, Junior had just replied “To see what he tastes like.” Mike hadn’t known _what_ to say to that so had just looked at El and said, “It sounds like he’s learned his lesson.” To which El had said, “Yes. I think so.”

Then there was the time Mike had woken from a nap to find his face covered in purple, blue, red, and orange marker. “But I just wanted to make Daddy pretty like how Mommy makes her face every morning!” Junior had explained to them through tears. Both Mike and El’s hearts had melted and they took Junior for a happy meal, even though Mike later found that the markers wouldn’t come off for two whole days and they had to go through the drive-through and he had to work from home for the rest of the week.

“No, El. Hop is right.” God he never thought he’d say that. “We _have_ to put our foot down this time. It’s for Junior’s own good.”

El chewed on her bottom lip, looking as anxious as Mike felt. But she nodded her head. “Yes. You’re right, Mike. It’s for Junior’s own good.”

-

“Buddy.”

“Yes, Daddy?” Junior gently put down the crayons he was using to draw what appeared to be chaotic scribbles on cardboard paper.

“Do you remember what you called Grandma Wheeler the other night when we were taking you back home?”

“Yeah! Drunken monster!”

Mike cringed just hearing it again, but Junior’s chubby cheeks were wide with a smile. He started to chant it like it was a song. “Drunk monster, drunken monstaaaaaaah, drunken –”

“Junior!” Mike’s voice wasn’t loud, but it was stern. Immediately, Junior took note, looking up at his dad with huge saucer eyes. _No. Gotta stay firm. It’s for his own good._

“Waffle,” El put their son in her lap. _Oh no,_ Mike thought, _was she already caving?_ “You can’t call people drunken monster.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a bad thing to say to someone,” El explained.

Junior looked up at El, then over at Mike, chewing his lip the whole time. Maybe El had finally gotten through to him.

“But Daddy says it all the time.”

Mike turned red. “I – what?”

“No, he doesn’t…” El started to stay.  

“Uh-huh he does,” Junior nodded, “I heard you talking with Daddy and Daddy said ‘But El she always has a drink she’s a drunken monster like Godzilla with vodka breath.’ Is Grandma Karen a godzilla?”

Mike and El were in synch again. “NO!” They both shouted.  

-

It had taken a lot of time, tears, and wayward explanations, but Mike and El had held strong. They had stood their ground. They had driven all the way back to Grandma Karen’s and their duly remorseful son was now giving a whole apology speech and everything.

Mike and El held hands and looked on. They were tired but proud.

Junior was sitting on Karen’s lap, his head bowed contritely as he said his sorries. “I’m sorry I called you a drunken monster, Grandma Karen. That was mean and I don’t think you’re a drunken monster.”

Karen appeared touched. “Aw, honey, that’s alright -”

“Besides,” their son interrupted, “Mommy says that Grandpa Hop drinks way more vodka than you do. Okay bye!”

**Author's Note:**

> Mike and El's parenting skills are a bit lacking here, for the sake of comedy. and yes, mike and el adopt. el is an adopted child, and mike took her in when she needed a home, too. i think they both would value adoption very highly. 
> 
> As always, I appreciate kudos and comments because I desperately need the attention


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